Canelo Alvarez’s upcoming fight for the undisputed super-middleweight world championship against Terence “Bud” Crawford will be his toughest test since Dmitry Bivol in 2022.
Since then, Alvarez hasn’t lost a fight at super middleweight, and all of his fights have looked like an easy cakewalk for him. Even in his most recent bout, William Scull was trying to survive Canelo’s punches.
Despite such domination, former undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney has picked Crawford as the pound-for-pound mega-fight comes closer.
Speaking on Ring Champs with Ak & Barak, Haney backed his fellow American to pull off what many consider an upset against the Mexican superstar.
The 25-year-old acknowledges Crawford faces a tough task moving up in weight to challenge Canelo, but believes “Bud” has the essential boxing IQ to overcome the size disadvantage.
Haney sees the matchup as everything boxing fans have wanted. The former champion believes Crawford possesses every skill to trouble Canelo. However, the victory for the winner won’t be an easy path.
“I think it’s a good match-up, it’s a fight that we all been wanting to see. Bud has the skills, he got the discipline, IQ to win, but Canelo has all that with the size, so I think it’s a good fight,” Haney explained.
Since his family maintains a close relationship with Crawford, this may explain Haynes’ pick leaning more toward Crawford. Haney said, “Bud came out and said that my dad was the one that told him to fight Canelo a long time ago.”
So this personal investment cannot be neglected. However, he doesn’t underestimate the challenge, as the move to super-middleweight is a significant jump for Bud from his usual welterweight career.
“I think it’s a good fight for boxing… But will it be an easy task? “No, but if anybody can do it, I think Bud can,” Haney stated.
Canelo has fought at super middleweight for years, while Crawford would be making his debut at 168 pounds. So, what could present a serious obstacle is just in front of our eyes.
However, Haney is so confident that the Nebraska native’s southpaw stance and switching ability will be something that Canelo hasn’t faced recently.
Devin Haney Gets Shocked as Alvarez Puts Crawford Over Mayweather Jr.
One month ago, Haney seemed surprised to hear a suggestion from a reporter that Crawford might be a better opponent than Floyd Mayweather Jr. Surprisingly, the real comment came from Alvarez.
According to Haney, the comparisons might not be entirely fair. He believes Crawford would face a significantly different version of Canelo than the one Mayweather encountered over a decade ago.
“I mean, that’s his opinion. I think Crawford is fighting a different Canelo than Floyd. It’s a much better version of Canelo than Floyd fought. So that’s why I think that’s the difference. Cheers,” Haney responded.
It could be an interesting part of the debate but Haney didn’t let the conversation stretch further. He knows the situation is already hot, as both reigning champions are set to close the deal on September 13.
